Display device



'UCEL 21,1952 J, MacHARG 2,614,352

DISPLAY DEVICE Filed May 51., 1949 (COL 00950) 5 7 (WHITE/-3- o "(001.011/750) (WHITE) A ttor neyg Patented Get. 21, 1952 omrsnj DISPLAYDEVICE James Adrian MacH arg, Gosforth, Newcastle-on-Tyne, England. J

Application May 31, 1949; SerialNm 96,2495. 7

2 Claims.

This invention consists in an improved display device.

The object of the invention is to provide a display device in which thedisplay portion appears to stand out from the background in aparticularly striking manner, and in which there may be a difference incolour depending on whether the device is internally or externallyilluminated for example by daylight.

The display device acording to the invention comprises a backgroundpanel, illuminatin means adjacent said background panel, said backgroundpanel having an individually shaped cut-out portion, a translucentdisplay character shaped in three dimensions according to its ownindividual shape, said character being fitted endwise into said cut-outportion so that the greater portion of its depth projects from thebackground to provide a translucent return, and lamin-ation means ofsemi-transparent plastic cemented to the outer end of said character.

Both the body portion and the face may be either transparent orsemi-transparent. Alternatively, the face lamination may be opaque.

The background panel may be opaque or semitransparent with or withoutcolouring, but with slits formed therein of a shape corresponding withthe particular display characters, the said background panel beingarranged over a casing in which are housed illuminating means such asfluorescent tubes. The effect of this at night is that of a signstanding out at a distance from a dark place or from a gently luminousbackground.

In addition to the facing laminations, the body of the display charactermay itself be laminated in any plane for convenience in construction.The sides of the body may be roughened to give a glowing effect on thesaid body or return.

Various colour combinations may be obtained by colouring thelight-sources and/or the bodies and/or their faces and/or the rearlaminations adjacent the light-source.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference tothe accompanying drawings.

In the said drawings:

Fig. 1 shows a solid block letter and a portion of a background panel.

Fig. 2 shows a hollow letter and a portion of a background panel.

Referring more particularly to Fig. LA is a portion of the backgroundpanel of the display device on which are cut out letters one of whichan-Fis shown at A This background panel may be blue semi-transparentplastic. The opening A 2 is filled witha corresponding letter B. Thisletter is made of a clear colourless plastic body portion or return Iwhich has its side surfaces roughened to allow them to emit light. Onthe front face and rear face of the body I there is a semi-transparentwhite plastic lamination 2, 3 respectively. On the front lamination 2there is mounted an outer lamination l of transparent red; and on therear lamination 3 there is mounted a lamination 5 of transparent yellow.The whole letter B is set in its opening in the base A so that the frontface of the lamination 3 is flush with the front face of the base A.

The roughened sides of the body portion causes light to be emitted fromthe returns and so give a gentle glow effect which masks defects.

The semi-transparent white lamination 3 shields the coloured lamination5 in daylight when there is no light behind the background panel A andso prevents what is not a good effect.

The effect in daylight is of a red-faced display object with whitereturnsviz., the body portions l--on a blue ground. If the panel beilluminated from behind by illuminating means in a casin of the sametranslucent blue as the base panel, the effect is of a red-faced displayobject with yellow sides on a gently glowing blue box.

Other colour changes may be arrived at by using other combinations ofdifferently coloured laminations, the actual changes depending also onthe purity of the pigments which colour the laminations.

By having differently coloured light sources automatically switched onalternately-sequences of colour changes are made possible.

For large display objects where the use of solid plastic would be tooexpensive, the objects may be fabricated so that the return or bodyportion may be hollow and closed at each end by laminations such asthose referred to with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 2 shows such aconstruction where C indicates a letter I whose body portion or returnconsists in a four sided box like structure having vertical sides 6, 1and horizontal sides 8, 9 closed by end laminations H), II. and l2, l3which may be of the same colour and kind as the correspondinglaminations in Fig. 1.

I claim:

1. In combination, a translucent mounting panel; a three-dimensionalcharacter block of translucent material mounted on and projecting beyondthe face of said panel; translucent laminations disposed between thepanel and block; translucent laminations on the outer face of the block;the sides of the block being roughened to give an illuminated returneffect; the

O first mentioned translucent laminations being of one color and thesecond mentioned laminations being of a contrasting color; and asemi-transparent portion on the mounting panel corresponding in size andshape with said character block.

2. In combination, a translucent mounting panel; a three-dimensionalcharacter block of translucent material mounted on and projecting beyondthe face of said panel; translucent laminations disposed between thepanel and block; translucent laminations on the outer face of the block;the sides of the block being roughened to give an illuminated returneifect; the first mentioned translucent laminations being of. one colorand the second mentioned laminations being of a contrasting color; andsaid panel having a cut-out portion shaped to the outline of thecharacter block and in which the said block is secured.

' JAMES ADRIAN MACHARG.

4 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

